By: Ryan Humphries

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NFL Week 8 Primetime Preview

A high-octane set of primetime games are on tap for week eight of the NFL season as all three games check in with a 50+ point total! Unfortunately, COVID is rearing its ugly head and is muddying the water for the Green Bay Packers in their Thursday night showdown with the undefeated Arizona Cardinals. But, we know to never count out an Aaron Rodgers-led team, so there’s no telling how that game will ultimately shake out. I’m loving the SNF match-up between the Cowboys and Vikings -- two teams which appear to be quite evenly matched. Finally, the week will wrap up on MNF with a potential “get right” spot for the Chiefs, who are 10 point favorites over the Giants… but might Daniel Jones and company hold their own and pull of the upset? Honestly, when it comes to the Chiefs this year, I’d say any team not named the “Jets” or “Texans” has a more than decent shot at taking down Kansas City. Let’s get into it!

Note: At the time of this writing, showdown salaries are not available for the SNF & MNF games.

Due to how the rosters are constructed for single-game NFL slates, this article is more geared towards a DraftKings-specific GPP approach.

Perfect Lineups from Week 7 Primetime Games

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals (-6.5) | 50.5 O/U

GB: 22.0 implied points | ARI: 28.5 implied points

Notable DFS Relevant Injuries: WR Davante Adams (C19) - Out, WR Allen Lazard (C19) - Out, WR DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) - Questionable, WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (hamstring) - IR (but has a chance to be activated for this game)

Score Prediction: GB - 24, ARI - 34

Game Notes: The major storyline revolving around TNF is Green Bay heading into this game without Davante Adams following a positive COVID-19 test earlier in the week. He has a slim chance to suit up but now that Adams did not travel with the team to Arizona he, along with fellow WR Allen Lazard (C19), won’t be available on Thursday night. Their absences will negate a massive 43.8% target share from the Green Bay offense. The remaining Packers pass-catchers will clearly need to step up and we may also see more utilization of both Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon (both running the ball and receiving).

The 7-0 Cardinals continue to cruise along and the short week may not impact them quite as much since their week seven opponent, the Texans, is about as close to a bye week that you can get without actually having a bye. They have an issue with a star wide receiver of their own with DHop popping up on the injury report with a hamstring issue, but expectations are that he will play. Arizona has scored at least 31 points in 6-of-7 games up to this point and another big offensive week is likely in order against a Packers defense that ranks 24th in DVOA.

Showdown Lineup Construction: In order of preference, I’ll be looking to stack showdown lineups as follows -- 4-2 ARI, 3-3 balanced, 4-2 GB, with a sprinkle of 5-1 ARI ‘smash’ builds in the off chance of a blowout over the depleted Packers.

Players & Stacks to Consider

Top Captains and Core Flex Plays:

QB Kyler Murray: Hasn’t been adding as much value with his legs lately (17 combined rushing yards last three games) but perhaps he kicks that trend against a Green Bay defense that has allowed the 2nd most rushing yards to opposing QBs.

QB Aaron Rodgers: Clearly losing Adams this week doesn’t help Rodgers’ fantasy prospects but this is still Aaron $%^&’ing Rodgers we’re talking about here. I wouldn’t knock his chances of posting another mid-20 FP performance, especially if the Cardinals get ahead on the scoreboard early, forcing a more pass-heavy Packers approach.

WR DeAndre Hopkins: Banged-up on a short week (not a 100% guarantee he plays at the time of this writing) and he’s still searching for his first 100+ yard game of the season. Kyler is spreading it around much more this season, though Hopkins is still seeing a healthy 22.1% TGT% and 32% of Arizona’s total air yards. There’s a decent chance he’ll draw shadow coverage from rookie CB Eric Stokes, who has allowed some big games to other WRs this season in similar shadow coverage (e.g. 6/159/1 to Ja’Marr Chase, 7/122/1 to Terry McLaurin). If Hopkins still receives a full complement of snaps, he should stay within captain consideration.

RB Aaron Jones: It’s completely reasonable to assume Green Bay (17th in pass play %) may look to lean on their running backs a bit more this week. Jones would be the clear beneficiary if that were to be the case and could push for 20 carries and a handful of targets as well.

Flex Plays and Leverage Captain Options:

WR Christian Kirk: 15+ DKFP in 4-of-7 games this season. Kirk leads the team with a 12.8-yard aDOT and is second behind Hopkins with a 26.9% AirYard%. He would fall firmly within captain consideration if Hopkins were to sit out.

RB Chase Edmonds: It’s tough to really pin down which Cardinals RB would be the preferred option here, but I’ll side with Edmonds due to his more consistent involvement in the passing game. GB has allowed the 10th most receptions to RBs this season.

WR Randall Cobb: May legitimately push for double-digit targets on a week where GB is desperate for healthy receivers.

TE Robert Tonyan: Much less of a “touchdown or bust” play in this game, for the obvious expected uptick in target volume. Unfortunately, the Cardinals have allowed the fewest FPPG to opposing TEs this season… however, they haven’t faced many studs at the position. In the last five weeks, the top TEs they’ve defended against include the likes of: Jordan Akins, Austin Hooper, Ross Dwelley, Tyler Higbee, and Chris Manhertz.

TE Zach Ertz: In his Cardinals debut, Ertz played 49% of snaps and corralled 3-of-5 targets for 66 yards and a TD (and even got a carry that went for 4 yards). Again, this is an offense that spreads the ball around but Ertz should continue to see his snaps rise as he continues to get a grasp on the playbook.

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: If he’s active, he could be Green Bay’s de facto WR1 and utilized as more than just a deep threat (21.8-yard aDOT this season).

Flex Fillers, Fliers, and Sleepers:

WR AJ Green: 84% snap% this season with eight redzone targets (21.6% RZ TGT%). The Packers have allowed the 12th most FPPG to perimeter WRs over the last four weeks (Green - 88% perimeter). Green also possesses a strong 12.5-yard aDOT on the year.

WR Rondale Moore: As a massive Rondale Moore fan, I’ve been bummed to see his role stagnate after a breakout in week two. He’s still playing around 50% of snaps and has caught 83.9% of his targets this season. He has a miserably low 2.2-yard aDOT this year but he is the sort of playmaker who can take any reception to the house.

WR Equanimeous St. Brown: ESB was signed from the practice squad last week and played 21% of snaps -- 4th among Packers WRs last week behind Adams (91%), Lazard (86%), and Cobb (62%). Those first two guys obviously aren’t going to be in the mix this week, so St. Brown should be on the field plenty on Thursday night (even if Valdes-Scantling suits up). At a showdown price of $600, you don’t need much from him to return value.

K Matt Prater: Has 12+ FP in 3-of-7 games this season. At $4,200, he may outscore other players at similar price points.

RB AJ Dillon: If the Packers look to feature their RBs more, Dillon could see his involvement rise if they’re also set on not giving Aaron Jones too many touches. Dillon has played a fairly healthy 35% snap% in the last four weeks and has a couple of double-digit fantasy point totals in that stretch.

Stack Concepts:

Note: [*Player Name] indicates captain selection

*Kyler Murray + Two Cardinals Pass Catchers: If Murray continues to run less, for him to be the optimal captain two of his receivers will likely come away with big games as well. Due to how much they spread the ball around, I don’t believe you need to force in Hopkins into CPT Murray stacks (though, it makes plenty of sense to do so).

*Aaron Rodgers, Randall Cobb, Christian Kirk: Maybe we get a vintage Rodgers + Cobb game here? The targets should certainly be there, especially if MVS also can’t suit up. I like the bring back here with Kirk on the other side.

*DeAndre Hopkins, Kyler Murray, Robert Tonyan: If the hamstring doesn’t hamper him too much, Hopkins has potential to post his best fantasy score of the season against heavy coverage from struggling rookie Eric Stokes.

*Aaron Jones, Chase Edmonds, Zach Ertz: Let’s say the Packers get a lead for a significant portion of this game. In that scenario, Jones should be heavily featured. Bring it back with a couple Cardinals pass catchers.

*Randall Cobb, Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray: CPT Cobb will only come at a cost of $5,400 and would easily open up salary to fit both QBs and at least one other stud player.

Dallas Cowboys (-1.5) at Minnesota Vikings | 55 O/U

DAL: 28.3 implied points | MIN: 26.8 implied points

Notable DFS Relevant Injuries: QB Dak Prescott (calf) - Questionable, WR Michael Gallup (calf) - IR-Designated to Return, WR Dede Westbrook (ankle) - Questionable

Score Prediction: DAL - 27, MIN - 33

Game Notes: We have a pretty alluring NFC match-up on deck for Sunday Night Football. Both teams enter off of their week seven bye in relatively good health (Dak is fully expected to play). This domed match-up will feature two highly capable offenses with a ton of firepower in what is the highest game total of any week eight NFL game. The defenses shouldn’t be overlooked either as both the Cowboys (10th) and Vikings (6th) rank near the top of the league in overall DVOA. But in an offensively-centric league, this has a better chance of turning into a back-and-forth shootout than a defensive struggle. But, to paraphrase what our boy @ZeroInDenver often says, “what we expect to happen rarely happens.” Either way, this is setting up to be a highly entertaining primetime clash.

Showdown Lineup Construction: In order of preference, I’ll be targeting balanced 3-3 builds with 4-2 builds (both teams) being closely behind. There are too many offensive weapons on both sides for me to even think about any 5-1 ‘smash’ builds. It’s hard to imagine this game turning into a super one-sided affair.

Players & Stacks to Consider

Top Captains and Core Flex Plays:

QB Dak Prescott: As long as that calf injury doesn’t seem to be a lingering issue, Prescott should likely continue to perform near his averages -- 302.2 YPG, 73.1% comp%, 24.3 FPPG. The Vikings do rank 3rd in pass DVOA and have allowed the 6th fewest FPPG to QBs, so it won’t be easy. If Dallas is able to get Michael Gallup back in the huddle, it’s a somewhat sneaky boost to Dak’s floor and upside.

QB Kirk Cousins: He’s surpassed the 25 DKFP mark in 4-of-6 games this season with the only two exceptions coming in games that combined for 57 total points (28.5 PPG). Considering this game may surpass that total by itself, we may get another high-end performance out of Cousins here. The Cowboys secondary is aggressive and is led by the pick master Tre Diggs, but they’re also surrendering 311.2 YPG through the air and 2.0 TD/gm (24.3 FPPG).

WR Justin Jefferson: Over his last four games, Jefferson is seeing right at 10.0 targets/gm and averaging over 100 YPG. Expect Tre Diggs to be glued to him in shadow coverage on most, if not all, of his perimeter routes (Jefferson: 71% perimeter). While Diggs does have three more INTs than any other player in the league, it is possible to find success against him and Jefferson is obviously one of the most talented young WRs in the NFL. Dallas has allowed the 6th most FPPG to perimeter WRs over their last four games.

WR CeeDee Lamb: I wouldn’t say Lamb qualifies as the clear ‘alpha’ receiver on this team (e.g. Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin) but he has certainly shown signs of emerging as the top option in the passing game. He has a team-high 23.1% TGT% this season and is earning 8.2 TGT/gm.

RB Dalvin Cook: The bye week came at an ideal time for Cook who had been dealing with a nagging ankle injury off-and-on prior to week seven. He’s currently heading into this game with no injury designation and should be primed for his usual bellcow workload.

RB Ezekiel Elliot: Tony Pollard has carved out a valuable enough role to where the days of Zeke pushing for 30 touches/gm seem to be long gone. Still, he’s seeing excellent volume in a high powered offense and has scored between 17.7 and 28.2 DKFP in Dallas’ last five games. Minnesota is much more forgiving against the run (24th in DVOA) than the pass (3rd in DVOA).

Flex Plays and Leverage Captain Options:

WR Amari Cooper: He’s another player who seems to be a beneficiary of a timely bye week after being hampered by a hamstring injury for much of the season. It’s certainly possible that he begins to pull more evenly with CeeDee Lamb in terms of TGT% and fantasy production.

WR Adam Thielen: On the other side of Jefferson, Thielen will likely draw shadow coverage from Anthony Brown. Brown has been a solid cover corner this season but Thielen is a crafty guy who excels in man coverage. He’s also coming off of a huge 11/126/1 game (13 TGTs) in week six and if he comes away as the highest scoring WR in this game, no one should be surprised.

TE Dalton Schultz: The potential return of Gallup would probably shrink his piece of the pie, but up to this point Schultz has earned a respectable 17.5% TGT% and has caught 83.8% of his targets. 7.3 tgt/gm over the last four games.

RB Tony Pollard: He leads all NFL RBs with a 6.0 YPC average and has seen double-digit touches in every game besides week one, which was of course against Tampa Bay (who hardly anyone runs against successfully). If the TD lottery happens to fall in Pollard’s direction, he could easily come away as an optimal FLEX play.

K Greg Zuerlein & Greg Joseph: With so many stud players available, both kickers have some appeal as FLEX options given their low salaries and strong median projections in a likely high-scoring match-up.

Flex Fillers, Fliers, and Sleepers:

WR Michael Gallup: *If he’s active. There’s no telling how high his snap count would be in his first game back (if he even gets activated for this game) but we know that Dallas likes to target Gallup deep downfield so he makes for an intriguing boom/bust option.

WR KJ Osborn: He’s the forgotten man in this offense but he has garnered a decent 16.8% TGT% and has at least six targets in 4-of-6 games this season. It may not be an ideal match-up as Osborn operates primarily out of the slot (61% slot%) and Dallas has allowed the fewest FPPG to slot WRs. Still, you have to think much of the defensive focus will go towards Jefferson and Thielen, which could open things up for Osborn from time to time. Osborn is catching a healthy 74.3% of his targets this season.

TE Tyler Conklin: At least five targets in three of the last four games and he’s surpassed the 70-yard receiving mark twice in that span while playing 80% of snaps. It’s an above average match-up against a Cowboys defense that has allowed the 12th most FPPG to TEs.

Stack Concepts:

Note: [*Player Name] indicates captain selection.

*Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Greg Zuerlein: I’d try to fit two DAL pass catchers in with any CPT Dak lineup but this is a solid stack that may give you access to many of the Cowboys offensive points.

*Kirk Cousins, Adam Thielen, Tyler Conklin: Decent chance for Cousins to go for 300+ yards here and Thielen won’t have Tre Diggs on him nearly as much, if at all. Conklin is a decent candidate to score a redzone TD as well and rack up a handful of catches with around 50 yards or so.

*Dalvin Cook, Greg Joseph, Ezekiel Elliot: The Vikings would be wise to feed Cook in order to keep the Cowboys high-powered offense on the sidelines. Dallas may have similar ideas themselves with their usage of Zeke, so playing both stud RBs in the same lineup is interesting from a game theory perspective.

*Adam Thielen, Kirk Cousins, Dalton Schultz: As mentioned above, Thielen’s route running allows him to excel against man coverage, which he should see plenty of on Sunday night. He’s obviously no stranger to some monster games and he could get peppered with 10+ targets if the Vikings look to avoid the sticky fingers of Tre Diggs (who should shadow Jefferson).

*Tony Pollard, Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson: It’s a very contrarian route to take, but with CPT Pollard, you should be able to fit multiple studs into the same lineup with ease. Pollard has the ability to take any touch to the house and, in the off chance that Zeke gets banged up early in the game, Pollard would (in theory) absolutely feast against a subpar Vikings run defense.

New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs (-10) | 52 O/U

NYG: 21.3 implied points | KC: 31.3 implied points

Notable DFS Relevant Injuries: QB Patrick Mahomes (undisclosed) - Questionable, RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) - Questionable, WR Kenny Golladay (knee) - Questionable, WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring) - Questionable, WR Kadarius Toney (ankle) - Questionable, TE Evan Engram (calf) - Questionable, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (knee) - IR/Out

Score Prediction: NYG - 22, KC - 28

Game Notes: There may not be another team with as many banged up offensive weapons as the Giants. Since they play on Monday, they don’t have to release an official injury report until Thursday afternoon (after this article is published) so, for now, I’m just going to assume that everyone with a “questionable” tag is suiting up, even though that likely won’t be the case.

Perhaps no other team in the NFL is in need of a pride-saving victory this week than Kansas City. The now 3-4 Chiefs were as strong as +450 favorites to win the Super Bowl this season but obviously things have not gone according to plan. There is plenty of concern surrounding the Chiefs atrocious defense and Patrick Mahomes having uncharacteristically high turnover numbers. While I don’t believe they’ll blow out the Giants in this spot (unless the majority of those “questionable” guys are forced to sit), I do see them getting a bounceback win on Monday Night Football.

Showdown Lineup Construction: 4-2 Chiefs builds will be the favored approach here with 3-3 balanced builds super viable as well. Depending on who is healthy for New York, I’d say 4-2 Giants builds make for a reasonable contrarian approach. In case we get a more Chiefs-like performance (and their defense steps up), a sprinkle of 5-1 Chiefs ‘smash’ builds makes sense in GPPs as well… but I wouldn’t go heavy on that approach.

Players & Stacks to Consider

Top Captains and Core Flex Plays:

QB Patrick Mahomes: He avoided a concussion in week seven and should lose that “questionable” designation soon. Even with his 9.74 FP dud last week, he’s still averaging 26 FPPG this season and should be fully expected to post a strong bounce back performance.

QB Daniel Jones: He’ll need to get some of those receivers back healthy, but Jones is somewhat quietly 3rd among QBs with 229 yards rushing and the Chiefs defense has allowed the most rushing YPG to opposing QBs (along with the 2nd most overall FPPG).

WR: Tyreek Hill: He’s been banged up the last few weeks and hasn’t seen his full complement of snaps. But, when he is on the field, he’s being targeted heavily. There’s no reason to avoid him as a captain option, especially if he comes into MNF fully healthy.

TE: Travis Kelce: He hasn’t surpassed 18 DKFP in four straight games, which is almost unfathomable given his dominance in recent seasons. The ceiling game will come soon.

RB Saquon Barkley: If he is able to shake that ankle injury and suit up, I would be fairly hesitant to slot him in as captain solely due to uncertainty surrounding his workload. However, if the Giants hope to win this game, they’ll likely need a huge game out of Saquon. The awful Chiefs defense ranks 31st in run DVOA.

Flex Plays and Leverage Captain Options:

WR Sterling Shepard: He’s practicing as of Thursday, but to what extent is currently unknown. Either way, that’s a positive sign that he’ll be able to suit up on Monday night. In his last healthy game, he drew a lofty 14 targets and caught 10 of those for 76 yards. It would obviously help his floor and upside if someone like Golladay and/or Toney sits, but he should possess a strong target floor regardless.

RB Darrel Williams: He was all but game scripted out of things in last week’s 3-27 loss to Tennessee. However, in a more positive game script where Kansas City plays with a lead, we could likely see a similar performance to week six when Williams handled 24 touches, scored two touchdowns, and played 72% of snaps. On the road this season, the Giants have given up 30.3 DKFP/gm to RBs.

WR Kadarius Toney: After a breakout 10 catch, 189 yard game in week five, Toney was poised for another big day the following week when he caught 3-of-3 targets for 36 yards on the first Giants drive of the game before re-aggravating his existing ankle injury. If he’s active, Toney will be a major part of the game plan.

Flex Fillers, Fliers, and Sleepers:

WR Kenny Golladay: Given his injury history throughout his career, Golladay feels like perhaps the least likely to play among the Giants banged up WRs, but that’s mostly speculation on my part. With the emergence of Toney and plenty of targets funneled to Shepard, Golladay may need to make his presence felt moreso in big plays (has a high 13.9-yard aDOT this season), but it’s certainly possible against the Chiefs. If either Shepard or Toney are ruled out, Golladay gets a bump up to the section above as a core FLEX target and contrarian captain option.

WR Mecole Hardman: He’s seeing more high percentage targets this season thanks to a lower 7.7-yard aDOT which has resulted in a 75% catch rate. He’s often the forgotten man with Tyreek and Kelce drawing most of Mahomes’ targets, but he’ll command a handful of looks with a moderately strong chance of a TD. The Giants are middle-of-the-pack in terms of pass defense and have allowed the 14th most FPPG to opposing WRs.

RB Devontae Booker: *If Barkley sits. Serving as the primary fill in for Barkley, he hasn’t averaged more than 3.6 YPC in any of the Giants last three games but volume alone would make him a target for showdown contests (if Saquon doesn’t suit up).

K Harrison Butker: Any time a team carries a 30+ implied point total, the kicker is usually going to be worth FLEX consideration in single game contests.

WR Darius Slayton: If Golladay, Shepard, and Toney are all available for MNF, it may be a tough ask for Slayton to provide a meaningful fantasy game. But he is leading NYG with a 14.6-yard aDOT so there’s potential for a big play here or there. Of course, his fantasy outlook and expected snap% both rise considerably if at least one of those other WRs is forced to sit.

Stack Concepts:

Note: [*Player Name] indicates captain selection.

*Patrick Mahomes + Two KC Pass Catchers: In an ideal world, if you’re rolling Mahomes at CPT, you’d just slide in Tyreek and Kelce as FLEX plays by default but that will leave you extremely short on average salary for your remaining players. I wouldn’t rule it out completely but do keep guys like Hardman, Pringle, Robinson… maybe even Josh Gordon (???) in mind. I know I didn’t highlight any of those last three Chiefs WRs above, but anyone on the field with Mahomes has a shot at big play and a touchdown.

*Daniel Jones, Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard: Again, assuming they play, Shepard and Toney would be my favorite double-stack to roll out with CPT Jones.

*Tyreek Hill, Patrick Mahomes, Kenny Golladay: There is no player with a higher ceiling in this game than Tyreek. Especially if we’re getting anywhere close to a 100% healthy Tyreek on Monday night.

*Travis Kelce, Harrison Butker, Saquon Barkley: Having only two 100-yard games through seven weeks probably isn’t what most expected out of Kelce and he has only a 14.7% redzone TGT% this season. But I believe we see a vintage 7/130/2 kinda stat line out of him soon… perhaps on Monday night.

*Kadarius Toney, Daniel Jones, Darrel Williams: We’re working with a small sample size, but when he’s on the field, Toney certainly passes the eye test as a dynamic playmaker. Look for him to be a central part of the game plan if he’s active for MNF.

That will wrap us up for the Week 8 Primetime Preview! Be sure to check out the main slate breakdown linked in the header. Once again, you can find me on Twitter or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck this week! Be on the lookout for the newsletter covering the main slate tomorrow!

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